Wendy Gonaver's Fight for Free Speech and Religious Liberty

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When Wendy Gonaver was fired for standing up for her religious beliefs, she took action.

A Quaker and a pacifist, Wendy Gonaver was first appointed by California State University in 2007 to teach
two courses. She wanted to attach a statement to the
Communist-era oath required of state employees, stating her objections
on grounds of freedom of religion and free speech. The university would
not allow her to do that, and Wendy was out of a job.

"We didn't think that was right," said Kathryn Kolbert, President of
People For the American Way Foundation. "So we worked with Wendy and
the university to find a compromise that would allow her to attach a
statement expressing her views as a citizen who loves her country, but
who could not take up arms because of her deeply held religious beliefs.
It was a victory for free speech and freedom of religion, the
cornerstones of People For the American Way Foundation."

After negotiations between People For The American Way Foundation
Legal Director Judith E. Schaeffer and lawyers at the California State
University, American and Women's Studies teacher Wendy Gonaver will
teach two courses at CSU-Fullerton in the fall, a year after losing her
job in a dispute over a "loyalty oath."

Gonaver is not the only Californian who has had difficulty with the
pledge, first enshrined in the state Constitution during the bad old
days of red-baiting and Communist witch-hunts. Others who hold pacifist
beliefs, and Jehovah's Witnesses, who do not take oaths of any kind,
have lost jobs.

"We couldn't be happier for Wendy, and we believe this clears the way
for others who find themselves in the same situation to express their
views without compromising their integrity or their livelihood," said
Schaeffer. "That's the American way."